Portrait by: Wyatt Naoki Conlon
about gu grocery
greetings
Hello my dears and welcome to Gu Grocery!
After many years of hosting you and your loved ones at my Chinese cooking + fermentation workshops and pop-ups, it got me thinking of ways to support you as an eater and sharer of foods for the long run 💚
Gu Grocery is a dream come true Chinese Taiwanese online store offering high quality pantry staples and a collection of everyday home goods. We regularly pop-up around LA to serve a bakery deli menu of sorts, featuring nostalgic snacks, some surprises, and familiar comfort foods to nourish you.
Our long term goal is to open a shop where we can continue serving our loyal pop-up customers while also meeting the needs of the diverse residents of the Chinatown community. Located in the heart of Chinatown, our future brick and mortar store will accept EBT and offer senior discounts.
You may be wondering what Gu means? Gu stems from the Chinese character for mushroom that is traditionally a symbol of prosperity and fertility. In Mandarin, it is also the word for Aunty, which honors the strength and generosity of women who have filled the role of intergenerational caretakers in our families 🍄
Inspired by our fungi friends and their crazy mycelium network - we believe in the power of a community and see ourselves as just a few among many spores in supporting you on your food journey. Whether it's creating access to healthy food options or providing opportunities to learn about fermenting, cooking together is a wonderful healant. We invite you to join us in the heart of the Gu kitchen.
With love,
Aunty Jess
P.S. We are growing our dream brick + mortar store into reality! Until then catch us at a pop-up. Visit our events page, and check Gu’s Instagram for updates <3
ABOUT JESS
Jess Wang, the founder of Gu, is a second generation Chinese American artist, pastry chef, and fermentation educator based in Los Angeles. Following over a decade of experience in restaurant and catering kitchens and as a recipe developer, she has found her calling as your Aunty. She collaborates with her Taiwanese born Wenzhounese mama, Peggy to preserve old family recipes and develop new ways of making food to feed you!
ABOUT PEGGY
Peggy Lin Wang is your mama. Before she asks you if you’ve eaten yet, she is already putting something delicious in your mouth! Born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, she arrived in the USA in 1972 as a college student following her parents and siblings to pursue a new life as an American. When she started her own family she became known in her friendship circle for her tasty cooking, especially her lovingly wrapped meat-in-the-first-bite zongzi dumplings.
order pick-up/delivery info
Currently Gu Grocery is operating as a Los Angeles based pop-up and farmers’ market vendor. We are now offering delivery for our farmers’ market menu items on Thursdays through the Eat! app.
Please join our mailing list below so we can update you with new developments!